March 11, 2011

Never a moment more destructive: Tsunami in Japan

An 8.9 magnitude earthquake has hit Japan. It shook the earth off Japan’s northeast coast and triggered a tsunami that has swept away thousands of buildings.

No one yet knows how many people have been killed and injured. Two hundred and fifty miles southwest of the epicenter, large sections of Tokyo are without power. Closer to the quake, fires have broken out all over the city of Sendai. The Onagawa nuclear plant has shut down.

Let’s hope the human toll is low. But the damage we've already seen is so extensive that it may take decades to recover.

Frank Warner

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Next: Watch for the impact in Taiwan and the Philippines. Then Waikiki, Hawaii.